By Nathaniel Irobi
Timipre Sylva, former governor of Bayelsa State and ex-Minister of State for Petroleum, has announced his resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sylva, who remains wanted by security agencies, submitted his resignation letter to the APC chairman in Ward 4, Brass LGA of Bayelsa, on Monday.
He said his decision followed consultations with his family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers.
“Having consulted widely with my family, associates, colleagues and sympathisers, I wish to formally tender my resignation from the All Progressives Congress (APC), with immediate effect,” the statement reads.
“As a founding member of the APC, and one who joined other well-meaning Nigerians in building the Party with sweat and money, it is deeply saddening to witness how the ideals we espoused have been so thoroughly and unrecognisably thwarted.”
In November 2025, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) declared Sylva wanted in connection with an alleged case of conspiracy and dishonest conversion of $14,859,257.
Sylva was also named as a suspect in the alleged coup plot against President Bola Tinubu. He is one of the defendants listed in the 13-count charge filed by the federal government over the alleged plot to topple the government.
Sylva said he decided to leave the APC because he cannot belong to a party whose leaders believe that “all is fair in politics”.
“All cannot be fair in any endeavour of life. The demands of basic decency and morality forbid it. Unfortunately, this mentality appears to underpin virtually every action, and even inaction, of this administration,” the statement reads.
“The present Government, formed under the banner of the APC we once loved, has disappointed the vast majority of Nigerians. And I can see neither a credible attempt nor any possibility of a revamp.”
Sylva said he therefore had no other choice than “to jettison a floundering ship whose fate appears to have been sealed by its irredeemable load of iniquities”.
He expressed confidence that in the upcoming general election, Nigerians will vote for Nigeria and free the country from the current “stranglehold”.
The former governor said he has sent a copy of the resignation letter to the EFCC, alleging that the agency “has conducted itself more as an organ of the APC than as an institution of State”.
“I am fully aware that this action of mine may invite a redoubled witch-hunt against me and my associates, but that is a risk I am willing to take,” he added.
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